In this section

DUNNINGTON

The Village of Dunnington, which was an Anglian
settlement, (fn. 1) lies about 4 miles east of York on the
southern flank of the York moraine. (fn. 2) The small hamlet of Grimston, also Anglian, occupies a similar
situation in the west of the parish, and surviving
wells near both settlements suggest that a supply of
water was readily available. In 1086 there was another hamlet in the parish, a Scandinavian settlement called 'Janulfestorp', (fn. 3) but no later reference to
it has been found and its site is not known. The
irregularly-shaped parish covers 3,837 a., of which
Grimston township accounts for 797 a. (fn. 4)

The boulder clay, sand, and gravel of the moraine, (fn. 5)
along the northern margin of the parish, lie mostly
at a height of between 75 ft. and 100 ft. above sealevel, although the area around Mill hill in the
north-east is higher. Other sections of the moraine
are called Thorn, Thorntree, and Stock hills. The
village lies at about 50 ft. to 75 ft. and the rest of the
parish to the south occupies the more low-lying outwash sand and clay. The open fields of Dunnington
lay for the most part on the moraine and an area of
assarts and ings on the adjoining lower ground. The
pattern of long narrow fields reflects the inclosure
of these grounds by 'flatting' in 1707. Much of the
lower ground in the south of the parish was occupied by the common, and there the larger more compact fields are the result of the inclosure of 1772. In
Grimston township more irregular fields may reflect
its earlier inclosure.

The low grounds are drained by several dikes and
streams, some of which form sections of the parish
boundary, notably Common drain in the north-east.
Common, Ings, and Howden Jury drains unite in
Dunnington as Tilmire drain, which flows southwards towards the former Tilmire (fn. 6) and becomes
Bridge dike in Escrick parish. The name 'Howden
Jury', recorded by 1850, suggests that the drain
may have been the responsibility of the court of
sewers for the west parts of the East Riding. (fn. 7)

The former Roman road from Brough to York
via Stamford Bridge follows the moraine along the
northern edge of Dunnington, where it forms the
entire parish boundary. The Dunnington stretch is
now part of a main road to the coast. A second
Roman road to York, more southerly and more
direct, crosses the centre of the parish and meets the
first road at Grimston. This later became the main
York-Beverley road. Both roads were turnpiked in
1765 and the trust was not discontinued until 1872.
A bar was built at the junction and the still-surviving milestones were erected. (fn. 8) The roads have been
widened and straightened in the 20th century. (fn. 9)
Dunnington village lies between the main roads and
is linked to them by four minor roads. One of the
latter, Common Lane, continues southwards beyond
the Beverley road at Four Lane Ends. It crosses
Common drain by a small 19th-century brick
bridge, known in 1709 as Byart bridge, (fn. 10) in 1850 as
Scauders bridge, (fn. 11) and in the 20th century as
Hassacarr bridge. From Grimston a road formerly
known as Grove Lane (fn. 12) leads southwards to Elvington. The Derwent Valley Light Railway, opened in
1912 with a station at Four Lane Ends, crosses the
parish west and south of the village. The line was
closed for passenger traffic in 1926 (fn. 13) but in 1974 was
still used for goods from York as far as Dunnington
station. A York bypass road was being constructed
across Grimston township in 1974.

The older houses and cottages of Dunnington
village, all of brick and dating from the 18th and
early 19th centuries, lie for the most part along the
closely built-up York and Church Streets and
Common Road. Characteristically they have plat
bands, brick cornices, and rising sash windows.
Several of those of early date appear to have been of
only one storey with attics, but, with the exception
of one close to the church, they have been heightened to the full two storeys which are normal until
the 19th century. At the road junction in the centre
of the village stands a cross, replacing a medieval
shaft and socket stone which in 1972 were in the
Rectory garden. The present shaft, with ball finial
and stepped socket stone, was put up in 1840; (fn. 14) it
was restored in 1900. (fn. 15) Near by stood a lock-up
with two cells, built in 1850 and largely demolished
by 1908. (fn. 16) Other older houses stand along Water
Lane, and back lanes around the village include
Church, Garden Flat, Pear Tree, and Peter Crofts
Lanes.

The most noteworthy dwelling in the village is
Dunnington House in Common Road, a later-18thcentury house of three bays, with additions of the
early 19th century which include the central doorcase and flanking screen walls with round-headed
recesses and ball finials. The house was a private
lunatic asylum owned by the Hornby family from at
least 1817 until the 1880s. In 1826 it was said that
only a limited number of patients 'of distinction'
were admitted, but in 1838 11 out of 16 were
paupers. Later there were usually about 20-40
patients. (fn. 17)

A great expansion of Dunnington as a dormitory
for York has been in progress since c. 1960 and
estates of private houses and bungalows have appeared in all parts of the village. (fn. 18) There are also
some 30 council houses in Church Lane and York
Street and 19 west of the village beyond the railway
line.

The Temperance Hall, which in 1903 became a
club and reading room, was built in Church Street
in 1889. (fn. 19) In 1823 there were two inns, the Cross
Keys and the Greyhound, (fn. 20) and both still existed in
1972. By 1840 the Smith's Arms, later successively
known as the Blacksmith's Arms and the Three
Horseshoes, had appeared, also in the centre of the
village; (fn. 21) it closed in the 1930s. (fn. 22)

The now much shrunken hamlet of Grimston
consisted in 1606 of 10 houses and 8 cottages standing in north, south, and east rows. (fn. 23) An undated
18th-century map shows that some houses then lay
west of the Elvington road as well as alongside it as
at present. By that time there was also a group of
houses at the junction of the Beverley and Stamford
Bridge roads, (fn. 24) and by 1850 they were known as
Grimston Smithy, (fn. 25) later simply as Grimston. Of
the older houses Manor House or Manor House
Farm is a mid-18th-century building with a stringcourse, a dentil eaves course, and a doorcase with
panelled pilasters surmounted by a cornice. Hill
Farm is a similar but plainer 18th-century building.
There are earthworks, possibly representing former
house-sites, in near-by fields, where there is also a
19th-century brick well-head. Three alehouses were
licensed at Grimston in the 1750s and one in the
1760s and later. (fn. 26) By 1823 it was known as the Blackwell Ox (fn. 27) and by 1840 as the Bingley Arms. (fn. 28) It was
presumably on the site, at the junction of the Bridlington and Beverley roads, occupied by the New
Inn in 1850. (fn. 29) It had closed by 1872. (fn. 30)

In the 19th and especially the 20th centuries a
scattered collection of houses has grown up on the
York-Beverley road and on the side roads north
and south of Four Lane Ends. They include the
Windmill inn, first mentioned in 1872. (fn. 31) The isolated farm-houses in Dunnington township apparently all date from after the inclosures of 1707
and 1772. Dunnington Hall, known throughout the
19th century as East Field House, (fn. 32) stands in its
own grounds in East Field Lane. It is a large early19th-century three-storeyed building, extended
later, and has a coach-house and stable block. The
house was owned by a York druggist in 1821 (fn. 33) and
may be an early reflection of the proximity of the
city. Clock Farm in Grimston has a large barn surmounted by an ornate brick and stone clock tower
with a wooden bellcot.

In 1377 there were 127 poll-tax payers at Dunnington. (fn. 34) In 1672 74 households there were included in the hearth-tax return, 19 of them discharged from paying. Of those chargeable 45 had
one hearth, 7 had 2, and one each had 3, 4, and 8
hearths. (fn. 35) There were about 78 families in the
whole parish in 1743 (fn. 36) and 70 in 1764 (fn. 37) The population of Dunnington township was 430 in 1801 and
it rose steadily to a peak of 842 in 1861. It then decreased to 741 in 1881 and 654 in 1901 (fn. 38) before
again rising to 738 in 1921 and 818 in 1931. The
population of the whole parish was 958 in 1951 and
983 in 1961, but with the subsequent building of
housing estates it rose to 2,442 in 1971. (fn. 39)

There were 41 poll-tax payers at Grimston in
1377 (fn. 40) and 14 households were included in the
1672 hearth-tax assessment. Two were discharged
from paying, 4 had one hearth, 6 had 2, and one
each had 4 and 13 hearths. (fn. 41) In 1801 the population
of the township was 51 and until 1901 it varied only
between 50 and 81. (fn. 42) In 1921 there were 77 inhabitants and in 1931 66. (fn. 43)

MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES.

In 1066
Slettan and Edwin held two manors totalling 4
carucates at Dunnington, which in 1086 were held
as one estate by the chapter of York. Before the
Conquest two other estates there, totalling 5¾
carucates, had been held by Norman and Alden. In
1086, despite a claim that 14 bovates belonged to
William Malet, they were held as one estate by
Geoffrey of William de Percy. (fn. 44) The chapter of
York subsequently became the under-tenant of the
Percies and the whole of the chapter's Dunnington
estate was set aside for the support of two prebendaries.

The land held under the Percys became part of
the endowment of Dunnington prebend, which had
apparently been formed by 1175 when, on the
division of the Percy barony, a York prebend, presumably Dunnington, was assigned the share of
Jocelin of Louvain. (fn. 45) The Percy interest in the
prebend was finally extinguished in 1225, when
Richard de Percy quitclaimed all his rights in the
prebendal lands in Dunnington, Grimston, and
elsewhere to the archbishop of York. (fn. 46) The prebend's estate in Dunnington township was later
known as the manor of DUNNINGTON. It consisted of 18 bovates, 68 a., and some 20 tofts and
crofts c. 1295. (fn. 47) About 1330 2 bovates were alienated
without royal licence, (fn. 48) and in 1349 they were
ordered to be restored to the prebendary. (fn. 49)

The manor was let by the prebendary in 1548 to
John Boyce and in 1692 to Thomas Rhodes for
short terms, (fn. 50) and in 1703 to Tobias Jenkins for
lives. At the inclosure of 1707 the last-named received 138 a. for his demesne. About 600 a. were
then allotted to copyholders. (fn. 51) The manor was let to
J. S. Smith in 1767 (fn. 52) and at the inclosure of 1772 he
received no a. for his demesne. Copyhold tenants
were awarded about 700 a. (fn. 53) The manor was let to
the Revd. William Lowth in 1772 and to the Revd.
Frederick Dodsworth in 1796. In 1829 the estate was
let in three parts, Dodsworth's devisees receiving
the manor and 92 a. and two other men a total of
181 a. (fn. 54) In 1847 the manor was vested in the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners upon a voidance of
the prebend. (fn. 55) The commissioners sold 156 a. to
Thomas Barker in 1853 (fn. 56) and 77 a. to the Revd.
E. Prest in 1855-6. (fn. 57) A total of 353 a. of copyhold
land was enfranchised between 1898 and 1922, (fn. 58) and
the remainder under the Law of Property Act of
1922. (fn. 59) The commissioners sold a further 38 a.
between 1947 and 1964. (fn. 60)

In 1672 a house of eight hearths at Dunnington,
which may have been the prebendary's manorhouse, was occupied by a Mr. Hall. (fn. 61) The manorhouse was let to Thomas Barker in 1829 (fn. 62) and sold
to him in 1853. (fn. 63) It stood west of the church (fn. 64) and
was described as a 'neat residence' in 1872. (fn. 65) The
house was demolished c. 1966 and a housing estate
built on the site. (fn. 66)

The rest of the chapter's estate in the township
was assigned to Ampleforth prebend, presumably
at its formation before 1219-34. (fn. 67) The prebendal
estate consisted of 20 bovates, 100 a. of pasture, and
6 tofts and crofts c. 1295. (fn. 68) It was let for a short
term to William Witham in 1639, (fn. 69) and was later
attached to the prebendary's manor of Heslington,
the lessee of which, Henry Wickham, received 103
a. for his demesne at the inclosure of 1707. Copyholders received about 200 a. (fn. 70) Wickham's lease was
renewed for lives in 1722 (fn. 71) and at the inclosure of
1772 the Revd. Henry Wickham received 6 a. as
lord of Heslington manor. Copyholders were allotted 133 a. (fn. 72) The estate followed the descent of
Heslington manor, (fn. 73) and in 1853 the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners sold 52 a. to Elizabeth Appleby. (fn. 74)
The rest of the estate was subsequently merged with
Dunnington manor. (fn. 75)

The prebendary of Ampleforth had a manorhouse at Dunnington c. 1295. (fn. 76)

In 1066 Sonulf held an estate of 2 carucates at
Grimston and in 1086 it was held by Niel of the
count of Mortain, despite claims by William de
Percy and Ernuin the priest. (fn. 77) In 1166 it was apparently held by Matthew de Punchardun of
Bertram of Buhner (fn. 78) and in 1284-5 Alan Roald and
Hugh of Methley, described as chaplains, held it of
'the heirs of Punchardun', and they of Ralph de
Neville. (fn. 79) In 1287 Hugh de Punchardun granted the
manor of GRIMSTON to York minster to support
a chantry he had founded there. (fn. 80) In 1346 a carucate was held of Richard de Neville by the heirs of
Simon de Hescheheld. (fn. 81)

The Punchardun chantry in the minster was
dedicated to Saints Agatha, Lucy, and Scholastica. (fn. 82)
After the suppression its Grimston property was
granted by the Crown to William Tanckard in 1599,
when it comprised 7 houses and cottages, 4 closes,
and 11 bovates. At the same time Tanckard acquired the former lands of St. Nicholas's hospital,
York, and in 1606 his estate in Grimston amounted
to 268 a. He still had the manor-house in 1630. (fn. 83)
Tanckard conveyed property in the township to Sir
Henry Jenkins in 1622, (fn. 84) and by 1697 the manor was
held by Tobias Jenkins. (fn. 85) Like Scoreby manor
Grimston was settled on Tobias's daughter Mary
and her husband Sir Henry Goodrick, and it passed
in 1715 to Mark Kirkby. Whereas Jenkins surrendered his life interest in Scoreby to Kirkby's
sons Mark and Christopher in 1723, he regained
Grimston from them that year and promptly sold it
to Robert Benson, Lord Bingley. (fn. 86)

Lord Bingley's daughter Harriet married in 1731
George Fox, who became Lord Bingley in 1762, (fn. 87)
and by 1779 it had passed to his nephew James FoxLane (or Lane-Fox). (fn. 88) It descended in the family until
1856 when George Lane-Fox sold it, comprising
761 a., to T. S. Watkinson. (fn. 89) In 1890 Watkinson's
devizees sold the manor to William Hotham (fn. 90) and his
heir Edward Hotham Newton sold it to J. J. Hunt
in 1899. (fn. 91) In 1954 the executors of Reginald Hunt
(d. 1941) sold the estate, then comprising about
1,000 a. in Grimston and Dunnington, in various
lots. (fn. 92)

In 1672 Tobias Jenkins occupied a house of
thirteen hearths at Grimston, (fn. 93) presumably that
described as Grimston Hall and owned by him or
another Tobias Jenkins in 1719. (fn. 94) George Fox's
lessee did much work on the house in 1750. (fn. 95) In
1772 it stood on the west side of the Elvington road. (fn. 96)
It may have been demolished when Grimston Hill
was built in the early 19th century and it had certainly gone by 1839. (fn. 97) Grimston Hill, which apparently replaced the hall as the manor-house of the
Lane-Fox family, stands beside the Beverley road.
The brick and slate building, painted white, has a
canted bay window rising through both storeys and
a porch with Ionic columns and an entablature.
Grimston Hill was replaced in its turn as the manorhouse by Grimston Court, a large Jacobean-style
red-brick building standing in its own grounds on
the opposite side of the road. It was built in 1903 by
J. J. Hunt. (fn. 98) It was sold in 1958 by the executors of
R. Hunt (fn. 99) and in 1972 was an old people's home.

In 1086 an estate of one carucate at Grimston,
which Ulchil had held before the Conquest, was in
the hands of William de Percy. (fn. 100) It had evidently
passed to the chapter of York by 1225, when Richard
de Percy quitclaimed his rights in the chapter's
lands there, (fn. 101) and in 1284-5 the chapter held a carucate in the township. (fn. 102) In the late 15th century the
estate was known as GRIMSTON manor and was
held by Henry Annas of the chapter. Annas later
granted the manor to Thomas Barton, and it was
subsequently held by John Barton (d. 1506), John
Barton (d. 1553), and Thomas Barton (d. 1565). (fn. 103)
Thomas's son Edward Barton died in 1610 seised
only of common rights in Grimston. (fn. 104) In 1606 the
estate was represented by 8 bovates of copyhold
land, held by several tenants of the manor of
Dunnington. (fn. 105)

The hospital of St. Nicholas, York, bought 3
bovates at Grimston between 1260 and 1291, (fn. 106) and
in 1346 it held 2 bovates of the Neville fee. (fn. 107) The
estate was let by the Crown to Leonard Beckwith in
1553 (fn. 108) and granted to William Tanckard in 1599,
then comprising 2 houses, a close, and 5 bovates. (fn. 109)
Thereafter it formed part of the manor. (fn. 110)

ECONOMIC HISTORY.

In 1086 the chapter's
estate in Dunnington township had land for two
ploughs and, although two villeins had only one
plough, the estate had increased in value from 105.
before the Conquest to 155. The Percy estate had
land for three ploughs and Geoffrey had one plough
and two villeins half a plough. The estate had fallen
in value from £1 4s. in 1066 to 10s. (fn. 111)

Though little is known of the process, considerable reclamation was evidently carried on in the
Middle Ages. Peter Crofts, adjoining the village on
the east, (fn. 112) may represent part of the nucleus of land
cultivated by the chapter's tenants at the time of
Domesday. The Intake, south-east of the village,
may have been subsequent reclamation, and other
reclaimed land went to form the later open fields.

About 1295 the prebendary of Dunnington held
in demesne 8 bovates and 12 a. of arable land, 20 a.
of meadow, 30 a. of moor, and 6 a. of wood. There
were 38 bond tenants, of whom one held 4 bovates,
2 held 2, and 8 held one bovate, and the remainder
held only tofts and crofts. The tenants performed
boon-works and rendered money rents, hens, and
eggs. The lord enjoyed pannage, merchet, leyrwite,
and multure. (fn. 113) At the same time the prebendary of
Ampleforth's demesne comprised 6 bovates, each
consisting of 10 a. of arable and one of meadow.
There were also seven bond tenants, each holding 2
bovates for boon-works, money rents, hens, and
eggs. Each tenant was to provide a haymaker and
five reapers, perform carting services, provide an
assistant for the lord's thatcher, and pay small sums
known as 'wodepeny' and 'Romepeny'. The lord
had merchet and relief. There were also six cottars
and grassmen holding tofts and crofts. The tenants
all had common rights in about 100 a. of pasture. (fn. 114)

Three of the open fields, Undergate, Mill, and
East fields, were named in 1628 and the fourth,
Thornhill field, in 1631. New field, or Ox close, and
the Intake, both of which were evidently divided
into strips or subject to common rights, were mentioned in 1621 and 1631 respectively. (fn. 115) Together
with the ings, all these areas were laid out in flats and
inclosed by agreement in 1707, (fn. 116) confirmed by a
Chancery decree of 1709. (fn. 117) In all, 1,049 a. were
dealt with. Undergate field, which adjoined the
village on the south-west, contained 117 a., Thorntree field, evidently the earlier Thornhill field, to
the north, 155 a., Mill field, north-east of the village, 126 a., and East field 295 a. The ings, beyond
Undergate field, occupied 118 a., the Intake 75 a.,
and New field, between the ings and the common,
163 a. (fn. 118) Tobias Jenkins, as lessee of Dunnington
manor, received 138 a. and Henry Wickham, as
lessee of Heslington manor, 342 a. There were also
2 allotments of 50-100 a., 14 of 10-49 a., and 16 of
under 10 a.

The extensive common, which was unstinted in
1709, occupied the southern part of the township.
The south-east section of it was evidently used at
one time as a rabbit warren. (fn. 119) The common was
inclosed in 1772, (fn. 120) under an Act of 1770, (fn. 121) and 937
a. were allotted. J. S. Smith, as lord of Dunnington
manor, was awarded 110 a., the Revd. Henry Wickham, as lord of Heslington manor, 6 a., and the
rector 103 a. There was one allotment of 57 a., 25
of 10-50 a., and 34 of under 10 a.

At Grimston in 1086 the count of Mortain's
estate had land for one plough. Niel had a plough
there and three villeins had half a plough. The
estate had decreased in value from £1 in 1066 to
10s. There was also land for a plough on the Percy
estate. Before the Conquest it had been worth 10s.
but in 1086 it was waste. (fn. 122) About 1295 four bond
tenants of the prebendary of Dunnington at Grimston held a total of one carucate and two cottars held
tofts for money rents, hens, eggs, and boon-works. (fn. 123)
By 1606 there were 389 a. of open-field land in the
township, including 71 a. in New field and 60 a. in
Low field. The commons then included the 25-
acre Bymoor and the 335-acre Great moor, in the
south of Grimston. There was also a stinted cow
pasture in which William Tanckard had seven gates
in 1630. Several small closes were already mentioned in 1599, and by 1656 a close of 6 a. had been
taken out of Bymoor, and the 22-acre Far pasture
and the 39-acre 'new intake' called Cony hill out of
Great moor. Thirteen acres of Cony hill were
ploughed up in 1657. (fn. 124) The township was apparently
mostly inclosed by 1708 and certainly by 1719.
Among the closes mentioned in the former year were
Merial ings, West ings, and Summer pasture. (fn. 125) An
undated 18th-century map shows the whole township inclosed except 89 a. of Great moor, then called
Grimston common and reached by an outgang on
the line of the later Elvington road. The inclosed
parts of Great moor included several called Tilmire
which were attached to three of the nine farms in the
township. (fn. 126)

In 1801 475 a. of the whole parish were under
crops, mainly oats (200 a.) and rye or maslin (100
a.). (fn. 127) The number of farmers in the parish in the
19th and 20th centuries was usually between 20 and
30. (fn. 128) In 1851 7 held 100-200 a. and 20 held smaller
amounts, (fn. 129) and in 1937 4 farms had an acreage of
150 or more and 13 were smaller. (fn. 130) There was a
score of marl pits on the former common and New
field in the mid 19th century. (fn. 131) In 1905 there were
1,224 a. of arable of 535 a. of grassland at Dunnington and 547 a. of arable and 161 a. of grassland at
Grimston. There were then only 85 a. of woodland
in the parish, mostly in Grimston. (fn. 132) Grimston
wood has been managed by the Forestry Commission since 1963. (fn. 133) In the 1960s the parish was still
largely under arable, but there was a substantial
amount of grassland in the south; the former rabbit
warren, which in the 1930s was heathland, had been
planted with trees. (fn. 134)

In 1840 it was said that a hiring-fair was held
annually in November. (fn. 135) By 1872 a pleasure fair
was held each July and it continued into the 1930s. (fn. 136)

For most of the later 19th century much of the
country's home-grown chicory was cultivated in and
near Dunnington, which was described as 'the
English chicory-growing metropolis'. (fn. 137) The crop
was probably introduced c. 1840 (fn. 138) and in 1851 there
were three chicory merchants in the parish. (fn. 139) In
1856, when it was apparently declining, the industry was said to have formerly employed 400 people
for much of the year. There were then nine disused
kilns in the parish in which the roots had been
dried. (fn. 140) The industry evidently revived, and in
1872 'a great quantity' of chicory was said to be
grown. (fn. 141) By 1902, however, none of the twelve
surviving kilns was still in use. It was then reported
that 200-300 a. of chicory were formerly grown
in the parish and that hundreds of itinerant labourers had been employed during harvest. Only 50 a. of
the crop were then grown, mainly in small plots
which the farmers kept 'for luck', and for many
years the chicory had been taken to York for drying
as well as processing. (fn. 142) A small amount continued
to be grown until the 1930s. (fn. 143) Three kilns still stood
in 1972, the largest, in Common Lane, a long twostoreyed building with a half-hipped roof and a
flight of stone steps leading to the first floor. (fn. 144)
Another kiln, in York Street, had been converted
into a shop.

Dunnington was also well known in the 19th
century for the manufacture of agricultural implements, machinery, and carts. In 1851 there were
two firms, one employing ten men and the other
six. (fn. 145) Implement manufacture was described as the
main industry of the parish in 1856 and the quality
of the products was said to be widely renowned. (fn. 146)
Fifty workmen were employed by one manufacturer in the later 19th century and several new types
of implement originated at Dunnington. (fn. 147) By 1908
the numbers employed had greatly decreased, (fn. 148) but
two firms continued throughout the 1920s and
1930s (fn. 149) and one, Hornshaw's, remained in 1972,
although implements were then only repaired, their
manufacture having ceased c. 1967. (fn. 150)

A weaver, a rope-maker, and a tanner were
mentioned at Dunnington in 1772, (fn. 151) a brewer in
1872, and a maltster in 1879. (fn. 152) There were two
bicycle manufacturers from at least 1909 until the
late 1920s. (fn. 153) In 1972 two firms of grain handlers
had premises at Four Lane Ends.

The prebendary of Dunnington had a water-mill
and a windmill c. 1295, (fn. 154) and a windmill in 1723. (fn. 155)
The windmill may have stood in the area known as
Mill hill, on the moraine north-east of the village,
where Mill field was mentioned in the earlier 17th
century. (fn. 156) There was a miller from at least 1823
onwards (fn. 157) and in 1850 a windmill stood near Four
Lane Ends. (fn. 158) It closed down c. 1900 (fn. 159) and has since
been demolished.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

There are surviving
court rolls for the capital manor of Dunnington for
the years 1606-40 and 1724-1925. The court
was largely concerned with land transfers; officers
were not mentioned until the 1860s, but thereafter
two bylawmen, two affeerors, and a bailiff were
usually sworn. (fn. 160)

Constables' accounts survive for 1765-1844,
churchwardens' accounts for 1818-66, (fn. 161) overseers'
accounts for 1816-31, (fn. 162) and surveyors' accounts for
1843-56. (fn. 163) Dunnington was a member of the Rillington union and maintained one or two paupers in the
workhouse there throughout the period 1816-31.
Until 1820 there was one overseer and thereafter
two. Two poorhouses were built in 1816 and two
more in 1821. Dunnington joined York poor-law
union in 1837. (fn. 164) In 1850 two rows of poorhouses
still stood in the south of Dunnington village and
another row on the Elvington road at Grimston; (fn. 165)
one set survived until 1936. (fn. 166) Dunnington was
included in Escrick rural district in 1894, Derwent
rural district in 1935, (fn. 167) and the Selby district of
North Yorkshire in 1974.

CHURCH.

Although parts of the fabric are earlier,
a church at Dunnington was not mentioned until
1220, when Richard de Percy and the archbishop
were in dispute over the advowson. (fn. 168) The living
was described, apparently erroneously, as a vicarage
in 1225. (fn. 169) In that year the archbishop quitclaimed
the advowson to Richard de Percy, (fn. 170) in whose
family it descended (fn. 171) until 1537, when it apparently
passed with the rest of their Yorkshire estates to the
Crown. (fn. 172) Presentations were made by the Crown in
1556 and 1558, (fn. 173) Robert Cripling in 1568, John
Gibson in 1582, and Ralph Eure, Lord Eure, in
1610. (fn. 174) The advowson had passed by 1642 to John
Egerton, earl of Bridgwater, and descended in the
Egerton family (fn. 175) until 1823, when it passed to John
Home-Cust, Viscount Alford, the heir of John
Egerton, earl of Bridgwater. (fn. 176) In 1722 and 1755 the
archbishop of York presented, (fn. 177) presumably by
lapse. In 1950 the patronage was transferred from
Peregrine Cust, Baron Brownlow, to the archbishop
of York. (fn. 178)

The church was valued at £13 6s. 8d. in 1291,
reduced to £8 n the new taxation, (fn. 179) and still at the
lower figure in 1428. (fn. 180) It was worth £19 net in
1535. (fn. 181) In 1650 the value was £80. (fn. 182) In 1829-31 the
average net income was £349 a year, (fn. 183) in 1884 about
£420, and in 1914 £313. (fn. 184)

Tithes accounted for most of the income in 1535
and later. In 1546 the tenant of an area in the south
of the parish called Grey leys claimed to pay a
modus of 3s. 4d. a year for tithes there. (fn. 185) The
prebendary of Ampleforth owned the tithes arising
from his estate at Dunnington and they were let
with it in the 17th century and later. (fn. 186) In 1685 the
rector received tithes from 63 bovates at Dunnington and 7 at Grimston. (fn. 187) In 1716 the lord of
Grimston manor paid a composition of £6 a year
for the remaining Grimston tithes. (fn. 188) At the inclosure of 1707 the tithes of the whole of Dunnington township, except for New field and the common, were commuted for 1s. 8d. a year from each
acre. (fn. 189) In 1225 the archbishop granted two tofts
and common rights to the rector (fn. 190) and at the inclosure of 1772 the rector was awarded 4 a. for
common rights. He also received 98 a. for half his
tithes from the common and a rent-charge of
about £16 for the rest. (fn. 191) In 1838 the remaining
tithes and existing moduses were commuted for a
rent-charge of £348 a year. (fn. 192) The living was
endowed with another 2 a. by the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners in 1858. (fn. 193) In 1925 98 a. of glebe
were sold (fn. 194) and the remaining 6 a. in 1949. (fn. 195)

There was a parsonage house in 1535. (fn. 196) About
1610, when it was in disrepair, it was a thatched building containing a hall, parlour, 'great chamber', and
study. (fn. 197) In 1727 it was said to comprise three bays of
building and in 1743 to be of two storeys. In 1764 it
was a brick building with a tiled roof, containing
four bedrooms. (fn. 198) It is said to have been rebuilt in
1777, but a new house was built in 1823-4 (fn. 199) and it
was still the Rectory in 1972.

There is no certain reference to a chapel at
Grimston in the Middle Ages, but Chapel garth
there was mentioned in 1606. (fn. 200)

In the 1440s the rector also held the living of
Huggate. (fn. 201) It was reported in 1579 that the rector had
been non-resident for two years and that the cure
had been served by an assistant curate. (fn. 202) In 1612 it
was claimed that Christopher Lindley, the previous
rector, had allowed the church and parsonage house
to fall into disrepair. (fn. 203) Henry Ayscough, rector
1610-42, who also held the living of Elvington, was
a Puritan. (fn. 204) In 1628 he was licensed to be absent
because of ill-health, (fn. 205) and in the 1630s and 1640s he
employed an assistant curate. (fn. 206) In 1743 the rector
resided on his other living at Settrington and employed an assistant curate, who was also vicar of
Osbaldwick (Yorks. N.R.) and curate of Rufforth
(Yorks. W.R.), and who lived at York. (fn. 207) An assistant
curate was also employed in the 1860s and
1870s. (fn. 208)

There were two services each Sunday in 1743 and
Holy Communion was celebrated three times a year,
with 30-50 communicants. (fn. 209) By the 1860s and
1870s there were three services each Sunday and
communion was celebrated fortnightly, usually
with 14-28 communicants. In 1884 there was a
weekly celebration and in 1894 four services were
held each Sunday. In 1914 two Sunday services
were held (fn. 210) and in 1972 three. From 1865 until it
was removed in 1911 services were also held in a
mission room at Grimston. (fn. 211)

The church of ST. NICHOLAS is built of
freestone and rubble and has a chancel with north
aisle and south vestry and organ chamber, aisled and
clerestoried nave with north porch, and west tower
with south vestry. The nave is small and perhaps
11th-century in origin. In the 12th century aisles
with arcades of two bays were added to north and
south, the former slightly the earlier, and the plain
west tower is probably of the same date. The east
end of the church was completely rebuilt late in the
13th century to provide a new chancel, in which the
piscina and sedilia survive, and north aisle with a
three-bay arcade. The removal of the chancel arch
may date from that time or it may be a more recent
alteration. The upper stage of the tower dates from
the 15th century.

The tower was repaired in 1717 (fn. 212) and in 1738-40
the pulpit was rebuilt and the church repewed. (fn. 213)
All three aisles were rebuilt in 1839-41. The nave
aisles have small round-headed Norman-style
windows and three-light clerestory windows, and
the chancel aisle windows are in the Decorated style.
At the same time the main entrance was moved from
the south to the north side and the north porch was
built. The west gallery was removed and replaced
by a smaller one, the chancel and tower were
repaired, and the church was repewed. (fn. 214) The plain
font also probably dates from this restoration.
Another restoration, by C. H. Fowler, took place in
1877 and a vestry and organ chamber were added
to the east end of the south aisle. (fn. 215) In 1930 the
north chancel aisle was converted into a side
chapel. (fn. 216)

The windows are all filled with 19th- and 20thcentury stained glass. A grave slab with an incised
floriated cross is in the south aisle.

In 1743 it was reported that a house and 23 a.
had been left for repairs to the church. (fn. 217) In 1824 the
church estate, the origin of which was then unknown,
consisted of a house, a shop, and 28 a., 5 a. having
been awarded for common rights at the inclosure of
1772. (fn. 218) The rents, totalling about £62, were used in
place of church-rates for repairs to the church. (fn. 219)
Most of the property was sold in 1921. In 1972 the
income was £128 from £2,111
stock. (fn. 220)

The tower contained three bells in 1770 (fn. 221) and
there are still three: (i) 1639; (ii) 1700, Samuel
Smith of York; (iii) 1727. (fn. 222) The plate includes a
silver chalice and paten, both made in London by
'I.F.' in 1876, and a silver flagon made in Sheffield
in 1828 by 'T.B.' There is also a brass alms-dish
dated 1677. (fn. 223) The registers begin in 1584 and are
complete. (fn. 224)

The churchyard was extended in 1866 (fn. 225) and
1911. (fn. 226) It contains the base and part of the shaft of a
stone cross, perhaps of the 14th century.

PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY.

There
were seven protestant dissenters in the parish in
1676. (fn. 227) A Quaker was reported at Dunnington in
1743 (fn. 228) and a house was registered for Quaker
worship in 1748. (fn. 229) In 1764 there were said to be 'four
or five' Methodists, (fn. 230) and houses were registered for
dissenting worship in 1765, 1788, 1803, 1807 (two),
and 1819. (fn. 231) The Wesleyan Methodists built a
chapel in 1805 in York Street (fn. 232) and this was replaced by a new one in Common Lane in 1868. (fn. 233)
In the latter year the Wesleyans were said to have a
strong hold on the minds of the people (fn. 234) and in
1884 they had 38 members. (fn. 235) In 1871 the former
'meeting-house', presumably the old chapel, was
owned by the rector and occasionally used for
Anglican services ; (fn. 236) it was used as a store-house in
1900 (fn. 237) but was later demolished. The new chapel
was still used for services in 1972.

The Primitive Methodists built a chapel in 1852. (fn. 238)
In 1908 they had a 'comparatively small' membership. (fn. 239) The chapel was used as a store-house in
1972.

EDUCATION.

In 1640 the assistant curate was
also the schoolmaster, (fn. 240) and a schoolmaster was
again mentioned in 1725. (fn. 241) In 1743 there were
three unendowed 'English' schools in the parish. (fn. 242)
No school was reported in 1764 (fn. 243) but a master was
again mentioned in 1781 and later. (fn. 244) In both 1819
and 1835 there were three unendowed schools,
containing in the former year 80-90 children and in
the latter 109. (fn. 245) The churchwardens repaired the
school-house several times in the 1820s (fn. 246) and they
built a new school in the centre of the village in
1836. In 1864, when it was largely supported by
school pence, the school contained 65 pupils. (fn. 247)
It first received an annual government grant in
1864. (fn. 248) It was enlarged in 1905-6, (fn. 249) and from 1908
to 1936 the attendance varied between 105 and 142.
In 1938 attendance was 98. (fn. 250) In the 1950s and
1960s the Methodist chapel schoolroom and the
village reading room were used as additional classrooms. (fn. 251) A new school was built in 1969-70 in
Church Lane (fn. 252) but in 1972 the former building was
still used as well. In April 1972 the number of
pupils on the roll was 324. (fn. 253)

CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.

Timothy Overend, by will dated 1728, gave £10, the interest of
which was to be distributed annually in bread to the
poor of the parish. In 1824 the income was 10s.
James Twinam, by will dated 1733, devised a 4-acre
close, half the income of which was to be distributed
to the poor of Dunnington and half to those of
Holtby (Yorks. N.R.); in 1824 £4 8s. was received
by Dunnington. (fn. 255) Dinah Richardson, by a codicil
to her will dated 1787, left £2 10s. a year to be
distributed in bread in church every Sunday to the
poor who attended service. Her executor Thomas
Wilson increased the annual sum in 1816 to £3 15s. (fn. 256)
These three charities were administered together
for much of the 19th century and a joint distribution
in bread was made. From 1844 to 1884 a total
income of £8-10 was usually received, and from
1885 to 1895 £5-8. In 1896 the administration of
the Overend and Twinam charities was transferred
to the parish council. (fn. 257)

In 1972 Richardon's charity was represented by
£79 stock and the income of £2 was kept in an
accumulating fund. The income had been distributed to the sick poor in 1967. The land belonging
to Twinam's charity was sold in 1967, Dunnington's
share of the proceeds being £413. (fn. 258) The income
was £22 in 1973-4, used to help a club for local
pensioners. Income is no longer received from
Overend's charity. (fn. 259)

John Hodgson, a guardian of the poor, by will
proved in 1891, bequeathed £5,000 for the benefit
of the sick poor, not in receipt of poor relief, living
within the area of York poor-law union or at Sheriff
Hutton (Yorks. N.R.). In 1949 £4,643 was added
to the endowment under the will of H. A. Phillips
(d. 1940). The income in 1972 was £446 from
£9,799 stock, and 38 cash grants were made, (fn. 260)
including one to a resident of Dunnington. (fn. 261)